Kiss of Vengeance | 復讐のキス

Chapter 28 - I Don't Want to Forget

I placed my left elbow on the large mahogany desk in front of me, proceeding to rest my chin on my knuckle. The shuffling of papers could barely be heard over the noise of various people shouting at each other. This 'meeting' had now turned into what seemed to be a debate, which is what I expected, on the new laws to be implemented and what current ones to be discarded or kept.

I had now become the closest thing to a judge and was starting to get annoyed. As more voices began to rise and the subject being changed ever so slightly to something off-topic and my patience was thinning. Hayate was sitting behind me and probably sensed my anger. "I understand that you want to scream at them right now, but that's the speaker's job-"

"Well, he's not doing a very good job." I whispered back in a frustrated tone.

Almost if on queue the Speaker stood up from his chair and shouted above the voices. "Keep order! You are in the presence of her Majesty!"

I'm not supposed to be sitting here..

Itsuki should.

The next few hours left of the meeting went smoothly after that, I was dying to escape that stuffy room. However, I wasn't exactly looking forward to lunch either. I tried my best to pay attention but I was finding it extremely tough, as my mind was busy wondering about something else.

It had been arranged that I would have lunch with Izana and Zen. I had no problem with Izana; although, after all those lies to Zen it was most definitely going to be awkward. The whole time I was thinking what I would say to him, how to explain myself.

Finally, the meeting came to an end, and I was able to escape that hell. The corset that I wore was tightened more than usual around my waist, and I was struggling to breathe. Wobbling out of the hall with Hayate and my bodyguards, who were trying to make sure I wouldn't fall.

Servants and waiters bustled around once we turned a corner, entering the dining hall. Two men dressed in fine clothing opened the doors for us and I thanked them, staring and watching various different high-up people sitting around small tables covered in a white table cloth.

Almost immediately I felt out of place, the room falling a dead silent and all eyes turning directly to me, a few whispers being heard. I gulped, the world beginning to spin like crazy and my vision slightly blurring. Trying to steady myself, I took a couple of deep breaths and followed a couple of guards to another room which was cut off from the rest of the hall.

When were inside, I saw Zen and Izana sitting on a table. Kiki and Mitsuhide were leaning against the wall in a corner, and once all four of them saw me, Mitsuhide was trying to hold in laughter- probably about me wearing a dress.

I shot them him a death look and he immediately stopped, straightening his figure and followed the guards to leave the room. I took my seat, glancing briefly at Izana who was smirking the whole time and then Zen who had an expression I couldn't read at all.

Once the doors shut and it was just us three present, the room was filled with a painfully awkward silence. I swallowed hard, trying to keep myself from swaying. "(Y/N), are you alright?" Zen asked while Izana sipped something a liquid from his teacup. At first I was a bit surprised hearing Zen say my actual name but I shook it off. "Aren't you going to eat anything?"

A sickly feeling swirled around my stomach as  I stared at the neatly decorated platters of food in front of us.

Look at all this food..

There are people starving in this world and we are sitting here with a feast in front of us.

"It's alright, I'm just not that hungry."  I stared at my hands placed in my lap, then looking back up at them both. Mentally deciding whether to bring up the topic we were avoiding, I turned and looked briefly at Izana as if for approval, but he ignored me entirely.